unknown unknowns

by Roberto Lavidez

it is easy

to forget

that we live

in a world

of unknown

unknowns

we get carried

away by the

simplicity of

our intuition

disposed

to trust

one man’s

claim to

infallibility

fear of

uncertainty

should

keep us

in check

while

recognizing

insight

that comes

from the

brain attic

serving as

a reminder

a reinforcement

that ensures

that knowledge

never goes stale

peering into

the expanding

world of codes

and cryptology

or plunging

headlong into

an undertaking

of giving worth

to questions

and meaning

to otherwise

meaningless

answers

firing up the

boilers of

the greatest

engine in

history

striking back

even in defeat

and facing the

possibility of

unanticipated

nonlinear

changes that

may result

from systems

which could

be extremely

difficult

to model

because

they are

mathematically

intractable

though it is

easy to 

slip into

fragmenting

reality and

making

ephemera of

the fragments

blurring the line

between reality

and illusion

it is up to us

to allow

imagination

to encircle

the world

and not

allow hubris

and limited

knowledge

in the guise

of complexity

to control

and define

this constructed

world

we often

fail to

consider the

improbable

because

our minds

dismiss it as

impossible

but the web

of interactions

tends to

bootstrap itself

over time

heightening

the flexibility

of response to

distinguishing

fact from

fantasy

it is up to us

the collective

human ego

to continue

living in 

a world

of unknown

unknowns

©robertolavidez2013